


Tales that Sprouted from the Concrete

by vannahfanfics



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, General fluff, Romance, friendship fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:15:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29970369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vannahfanfics/pseuds/vannahfanfics
Summary: A collection of oneshots for Haikyuu!!DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters presented in these stories. Those rights belong to Haruichi Furudate.
Relationships: Sawamura Daichi & Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 9
Kudos: 1





	1. Foreword

Hello everyone! Welcome to my oneshot collection for Haikyuu!!, _Tales that Sprouted from the Concrete!_ It includes a variety of stories, from passionate romances to tales of friendship, and I hope everyone enjoys reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. 

I do take prompts/pairing and story requests (in fact, I love them, so please feel free to request!). However, there are a couple of guidelines to keep in mind:

  * If a prompt is submitted, I **do not** guarantee that I will agree to write it. If I feel uncomfortable at the prompt or otherwise feel like I do not possess enough information to adequately complete the prompt, it is my right to politely refuse to take the prompt. If the prompt is from a series that I have not read/seen, it is likely that I will place the prompt on hold until I have done so. If the prompt is from an anime filler arc, I may refuse or require a short explanation of the filler arc to provide me with enough detail to complete the prompt. Please respect my choice as an author to refuse prompts. 
  * Please do not comment with ship hate. I do not tolerate ship discrimination here (within reason, citing the rules below); it is a sure-fire way to earn yourself a block. I am a multi-shipper and don't care about petty ship wars, so it's really quite rude to come on here bleating that I am "delusional" for writing non-canon ships for fun. _Don't do it._ I write your ship too, I promise. Let others enjoy their ships. 
  * Most of the stories I write are male/female, mostly because this is what I am comfortable writing. However, if you wish to suggest a female/female or male/male prompt, please feel free to do so. I don't discriminate against such pairings and will most likely write them if requested, it is just unlikely that I will do so spontaneously. Again, please respect my decision as the author to refuse to write a pairing if I cannot draw appropriate inspiration.
  * Finally, this is _not_ a place for smut. I respect people who read and/or write it, but I am not one of those people, so please do not request anything that is NSFW. Incest and pedophilia are also prohibited. Other than NSFW, there are two other things to keep in mind. _I do not romanticize cheating_. So if I feel your request involves something of this nature, I will politely refuse. I have been hassled about this before, so please don’t press me on it. Secondly, _I am sensitive about large age gaps between characters_. These will be taken on a case-by-case basis and depends on the age of the characters as well as their relationship. I am particularly iffy concerning student-teacher relationships, and those will most likely be refused. Of course, everyone is entitled to their preferences and I will never harass you or judge you if you request something of this nature. All I ask is that if I refuse, you take it gracefully, and don’t get upset if I happen to write another pairing with an age gap because the circumstances are most likely radically different. I promise you that I have my reasons. 



My requests are currently: **OPEN**


	2. Index

**Chapter 1:** As The Crow Flies _(Sugawara & Daichi)_

 **Chapter 2:** The Holy Grail of Sports Drinks _(Karasuno Volleyball Team)_


	3. As The Crow Flies

Category: Friendship Fluff

Characters: Daichi Sawamura, Koshi Sugawara

Gentle squeaks filled the classroom air as Koshi wrote “Sugawara-sensei” in neat, crisp characters in the corner of his chalkboard. Flecks of white dust rained down into his blond hair and onto the fabric of his red cardigan, so he took a moment to brush them away before turning around. As he was greeted with the rows of empty desks, just waiting to be filled with bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students, his chest swelled with pride and happiness. After toiling through high school and university, he had finally landed  _ here _ , instilling knowledge in the most impressionable and most curious minds. 

Koshi glanced down at his watch, impatiently staring at the second hand tick-tick-ticking over the numbers. His fingers wiggled restlessly as his nerves hummed with anticipation; this was his first day teaching alone, and he couldn’t help but obsess over the possibilities of what his students would be like and how they would take to him. Elementary schoolers could be an unruly lot.  _ Well… I did have some experience with that,  _ he thought with a slight chuckle, thinking back to his days at Karasuno. Some of them had mentalities scarily close to elementary schoolers. 

Koshi leaned back against the wall as he smiled dreamily, basking in the wistfulness of his halcyon days. Unlike some, he’d decided against pursuing volleyball as a career in favor of becoming a teacher. Koshi loved children and loved fostering growth in others, but he would be a liar if he said he didn’t miss volleyball. There was just something about it, the deep bonds of trust and the euphoria of fighting to the last breath, that had never left him. Sometimes he did entertain fancies of alternate realities, imagining that he was a setter in some faraway foreign locale on the grandest courts there were. 

He was snapped out of his daydreaming by knuckles rapping at the door. As he pushed himself off the wall and uncrossed his arms, the classroom door swung open to reveal a potted lucky bamboo, its leaves quivering as its bearer stepped across the threshold. Koshi broke into a smile as the shiny police badge glinted in the fluorescent lights, matching the shine of Daichi’s broad grin. 

“ _ Daichi _ !” Koshi squealed in delight, nearly hitting his hip on the corner of his desk as he rounded it. Daichi laughed heartily and hurriedly set the potted plant aside as his friend literally leaped across the room to hug him tight. Though Koshi and Daichi had kept in contact after high school, Koshi’s studies and Daichi’s police work kept them both awfully busy, so it had been an awfully long time since they’d actually clapped eyes on each other. Both of them laughed joyfully as Daichi enveloped him in a burly hug, even going so far as to lean back and lift him off his feet. 

“It’s so wonderful to see you,” Koshi smiled as he pulled back. As his hands gripped Daichi’s upper arms, he could feel the rock-solidness of his arm muscles bulging under the thick black fabric of his police uniform. “Jeez, what have they been feeding you?” he cried, punctuating the exclamation with sharp squeezes. “Are you a police officer or a sumo wrestler?” 

“It looks like they haven’t been feeding you enough,” Daichi joked and poked Koshi in the belly, making him recoil with a giggle at the ticklish sensation. “A strong breeze could knock you over!” 

“Hey, hey, that’s mean. I still work out,” Koshi said, sticking out his tongue. Daichi grinned and affectionately ruffled his straw-colored hair, then set his hands on his hips as he looked around the classroom. He whistled appreciatively at the colorful posters and decorations that Koshi had adorned the learning space with. 

“This is a nice little set-up you’ve got here. I can feel myself growing brain cells,” the police officer grinned teasingly. Koshi snorted and punched him in the upper arm, trying to hide his expression of pain as his knuckles rapped against the solid surface and bruised in protest. Daichi smirked, glancing at him out of the corners of his eyes. “This kind of thing definitely suits you. You always were good at wrangling children.” 

“And those who acted like children?” Koshi joked, making Daichi snort with laughter. 

“Yeah,” he hummed, turning to pick up the potted plant. He held it out to Koshi with a smile. “I happened to be on patrol in the area, so I thought I would bring you this for good luck,” he said. Koshi smiled appreciatively as he took it, turning the ceramic point to admire the twisting stalks of bamboo and their bouncy green leaves. 

“Thanks,” he said, walking to set it on the corner of his desk. He stepped back to admire it while pinching his chin, liking how the greenery livened up the atmosphere. He might have to invest in a few more plants, and maybe a little goldfish tank, too. He dropped his hand as he looked back to Daichi with a wide smile. “It really is good to see you, Daichi.” 

“Yeah.” The dark-haired man hooked his thumbs in his pockets as he leaned against one of the school desks. His eyes kept wandering around; Koshi couldn’t blame him. He probably hadn’t been in a classroom since high school, so the memories were probably rushing back, just like they had for Koshi. “You ever wonder?” he blurted suddenly, looking at Koshi with gleaming eyes. “If you chose the right path.” 

“Of course,” Koshi shrugged after glancing at his watch again. The students would be arriving soon. He picked up a small plastic basket filled with wooden name placards and began distributing them to the desks. Daichi’s eyes followed him as he set them neatly on the enamel surfaces, one by one. “I was thinking about it right before you got here, actually,” he admitted with a small chuckle. “We all have so many different paths in life that it seems almost criminal to get just one… You can’t help but look back sometimes and think, ‘I wonder where that road would have led me.’” At the back of the classroom, he stopped to stare out the windows, where the first yellow school buses were trundling up to the front gate. “I wonder, but… I don’t  _ regret _ . I’m happy with where I am, and even though I can’t turn back to those roads, there are always paths that can lead there, too.” 

When he looked back to Daichi, he had his arms crossed, his eyebrows furrowed contemplatively. A knowing smile danced across his lips, however, that widened when he pushed himself up to walk back to Koshi. The teacher hugged the plastic bin to his chest, eyes twinkling as Daichi towered over him. “Are you happy, Daichi?” he asked, suddenly fearful that it had been more than conjecture. 

Thankfully, his friend laughed and playfully pushed him in the side of the head. 

“Of course I am. There’s nowhere I’d rather be,” he said and put his hands on his hips, puffing his chest proudly. Koshi had to admit that the police uniform fit Daichi so naturally that one could argue he was born to wear it.  _ And he always was good at keeping others in line and supporting them, too. It’s the perfect career for him,  _ Koshi thought and resumed placing the name cards on the desks. 

“I’m glad. Me too.” Once he finished, he set the plastic crate back down and looked to the chalkboard with a small sigh. “Although… I would be a liar if I said that I didn’t miss it. The court.” He knew that’s the real reason that Daichi had steered the conversation this way; volleyball had been such an important part of their lives. There was no way that it would ever truly leave them. Koshi glanced over his shoulder to see him staring at Koshi in shock; slowly, his face fell into an embarrassed smirk, the face of someone who was irritated and amused at being caught red-handed. 

“You’ve always been too perceptive for your own good.” 

“Heh, helps catch the youngsters when they’re hiding something,” Koshi mused as he whirled on his heel to lean back against the front of his desk. “I do miss it, though— playing with everyone. We helped give Karasuno its wings again… It’s hard to be a part of something so special and leave it behind. Part of you wants to stay there, for it to last forever.” 

Daichi grunted in agreement, fiddling with his badge. Koshi watched him for a moment, then smirked and cocked his head to the side. “Like I said, though… You can’t turn back to those roads, but sometimes you can find a side path that will lead you there.” When Daichi looked back at him with raised eyebrows, Koshi stuck out the tip of his tongue. “I hear the community team is looking for members. I’m not sure what a police officer and an elementary school teacher have to offer, but it sounds like a fun way to kill time, doesn’t it?” 

Daichi’s eyes blew wide as Koshi’s words sank in. Slowly, lucidity flooded back into his gaze, and his eyes closed as he grinned sardonically. 

“Man, you’re devilish. I don’t envy those kids.” 

“What are you talking about? I’m a ray of sunshine!” Koshi laughed. Daichi laughed too, but it was cut short as the dispatcher’s voice buzzed from the radio strapped to his hip. “Duty calls?” Koshi asked as Daichi straightened up and plucked the radio from its holster. 

“‘Fraid so,” he smiled before pressing the button to quip a quick response. At the same time, the hallway began to echo with the excited voices of children making their way to their homerooms. “Looks like duty calls for you, too,” he chuckled as he sauntered a few paces toward the door, looking a bit hesitant to leave. “... So, a community team?” he pondered finally. Koshi nodded and tossed him a wink. 

“I’ll text you this afternoon,  _ officer _ .” 

“Pfft, okay,” Daichi snorted with a look of relief. “See you later,  _ sensei _ ,” he said with a casual wave. Koshi watched him stride out of the classroom; a few delighted gasps and hushed whispers of awe soon followed, along with excited cries of “It’s a police officer! A real police officer!” Koshi snickered and looked down at the lucky bamboo, reaching up to gently stroke the smooth green surfaces of the leaves. 

“They say all roads lead to Rome, but… I guess for us, all roads lead to volleyball, huh?” he whispered. “Guess Rome is different for everybody.” 

As his students began to file in and Koshi greeted them jovially, the back of his mind was already taking flight over the flapping white net, indulging in visions of halcyon days on the court and new memories yet to come… In their hearts, all of them really were just crows, and every so often they had to mob together once again, each traversing their own unique roads that led home. 


	4. The Holy Grail of Sports Drinks

Category: Friendship Fluff, Comedy

Characters: Daichi Sawamura, Koshi Sugawara, Karasuno Volleyball Team

Koshi’s eyes were lidded as he laid on the floor on his belly, his legs cocked over his back and his ankles crossed. His mouth slowly chewed, crunching on the popcorn he plucked from the half-empty bowl in front of him. Daichi laid on his back beside him, dozing; though they’d gotten together to watch a martial arts movie marathon, they’d been worn out from intense practice that week, and they had watched more of the backs of their eyelids than guys pummeling one another on television. 

Koshi perked up as the screen alit with bright colors and poppy music. His eyebrows crept up his forehead as a bottle of bright blue liquid— a sports drink, as evidenced by the silhouette of the basketball player decorating the packaging— spun onto the screen and an announcer fervently described the benefits of the formula. Koshi elbowed Daichi sharply in the ribs, making the dark-haired boy release an unflattering “snoooork!” and roll onto his belly. He looked blearily at the screen, but his eyes slowly flooded with clarity as he viewed the commercial. 

With the number of scientist testimonies and statistics flashing on the screen, this sports drink seemed to be the answer to their prayers. The Spring High preliminaries were fast approaching, and they were still struggling to hone their respective skills. However, with a dose of this supposed miracle drink… 

“To the supermarket!” they both exclaimed at once and pushed themselves off the floor. They scrambled around Koshi’s bedroom, flopping about while trying to change out of their pajamas and into proper clothes. After Daichi stumbled into the bed and the dresser three times, Koshi’s mother even poked her head in the room to see what all the fuss was about. She was kind enough to give them some money— she’d always been immensely supportive of the volleyball team— and a ride to the supermarket. As the two boys bid the woman adieu and walked towards the sliding glass doors, they were riding cloud nine. 

“You really think this stuff will work? They can put anything on television, you know,” Daichi said as he thumbed through the stack of yen bills in his hand.

“Even if it doesn’t, we could still count on a placebo effect,” Koshi joked while holding up his index finger. “Shouyo and Ryū will probably fall for it!” 

“Hey, now. It’s not nice to tease your underclassmen!” Daichi scolded and shoved him lightly in the arm, but the stupid grin on his face told Koshi that the captain knew that the two shared a brain cell and probably  _ would  _ believe that the sports drink would enhance their performance. “Well, whatever. At the very least, it will probably boost morale. Let’s just get a pack or two and see what happens.” 

As soon as the glass doors open and they stepped inside, they realized that it would be much easier said than done. 

The cashiers were floundering in a mob of high schoolers parading packs of the sports drinks above their heads. They were crammed between the check-out stations, squirming and wriggling like a mass of bugs and threatening to overtake the poor workers at any moment. A hastily-written piece of paper reading “only one case per customer” was taped to the plastic advert of the new drink, but it seemed to be an ineffective measure to cull the chaos that had arisen. Daichi and Koshi gawked at the throng of sports team representatives, telepathically debating on whether or not they should just turn right around and abandon the endeavor lest they end up trampled. 

“I’m going in,” Daichi decided with a thick gulp, clenching his fist tight. Koshi gasped and grabbed his shoulder. 

“Are you sure? It’s a madhouse in there! We’ll never make it!” 

“We don’t know until we try,” Daichi asserted, eyes narrowing determinedly. “If I back down now, I’ll never be able to face the team knowing I admitted defeat.” Koshi released an awed breath, eyes widening as he nodded slowly. His best friend really was amazing. Grunting, Koshi slapped his palms to his face, relishing the sting permeating across his pinkened cheeks. 

“All right! Let’s do this!” 

With a resounding battle cry, they dove into the throng… and were promptly knocked back onto their butts by the writhing mass of people. They looked at one another in exasperation; they knew that continuing to charge the crowd would be fruitless, but they had to get the drinks. What could they do? 

“All right. This calls for drastic measures,” Daichi growled and whipped out his cellphone. “I’m getting reinforcements.” 

Within fifteen minutes, the entirety of Karasuno Volleyball Club was standing in the entrance of the supermarket, staring with wide and fearful eyes at the mass of screaming, howling, quivering high schoolers. Daichi paced in front of them, his hands clasped tightly behind his back and his shoulders squared. 

“Listen up, men!” he boomed. “Beyond that wall of chaos lies the holy grail of sports drinks!” He punctuated the statement with a sharp point to the crowd. Shouyou audibly gulped and performed the sign of the cross, while Hitoka’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted straight backward, slumping against a wide-eyed and pale-faced Kiyoko. Kei whirled on his heels to try and go home, already pulling his headphones on, but Tadashi grabbed him by the tee-shirt to yank him back. “Your mission is to secure two cases of them for our use! It will be hard. Some of you might not make it back… But this is for the greater good, men! This is surely the key to our victory in the preliminaries! Are you with me?!” 

“Yes, captain!” they roared, arousing the attention of a few of the customers. Daichi saluted them with tears brimming in their eyes as they stamped their feet and hyped themselves up for the task ahead. Then, much to the tall boy’s surprise, they gathered around Asahi and tipped him over. 

“Chaaaaaaaarge!” Ryūnosuke roared, steam billowing out of his nose like a bull. Asahi wailed as they gripped his body and used it as a battering ram to plow through the crowd. As the surprised sports players parted like the Red Sea, Koshi and Daichi trotted through the gap, following their screaming band of underclassmen. Koshi tossed Daichi a grin. 

“Nice speech, captain! Don’t you think you milked it a little, though? Seriously, you implied someone might  _ die _ .”

“Who cares?” the ravenet laughed, tipping his head back as he ran. “It worked, didn’t it?” 

They found their friends in the drink aisle. Yu was huffing like an ape as he pranced protectively around the two cases of drinks they’d managed to procure, nostrils flaring and hunched over as he kept their rivals at bay. “Good job!” Daichi praised as he ran over, hefting one of the cases onto his shoulder while Ryūnosuke took the other. Asahi was planking against the display shelves, his soul slowly leaving his body. Koshi dashed over to rouse him, shaking his shoulders and pleading for him not to die yet. 

“All right!” Daichi shouted as Koshi jumped up to try and catch the wisps of Asahi’s life force trying to find eternal peace in the fluorescent lights above their heads. “We’ve got our cases; now we have to protect them.” On command, the rest of the team formed a protective shell around Daichi and Ryūnosuke. “If you fall, I will make sure that your sacrifice is remembered.” 

Before they could even leave the aisle, a dark shadow fell over them. A crowd of people was blocking the entrance, snickering ominously. 

“It’s the karate club,” Kiyoko whispered darkly and shoved a trembling Hitoka behind her. 

“Hand over the sports drinks, Daichi, if you know what’s good for you!” 

“Move out the way, if you know what’s good for  _ you _ !” their captain retorted hotly. It seemed the martial arts specialists were in no mood to comply, as they advanced slowly across the tile floor, cracking their knuckles and rolling their shoulders. Daichi was unfazed, eyes lidded as he whistled sharply through his teeth. 

“Shouyo! ‘Noya!  _ Sic ‘em _ !” 

The two small boys vaulted out of the crowd, screaming like banshees. Yu latched onto one’s shoulders like a koala, pulling at his hair and making him run around in circles crying for his mother. Shouyo bounced between them, avoiding kicks and punches to deliver well-placed blows to the backs of their knees to have them folding over like paper. As the two cleared the crowd in an instant, the rest of Karasuno leaped over their fallen, twitching bodies. Yu and Shouyo gave the stunned karate club raspberries and funny faces before hurrying after their friends, exchanging triumphant high-fives. 

Soon they reached their next obstacle— the check-out stations. Defeated clubs had formed a barrier in front of them, looking to steal their own cases of drinks and emerge victorious. They encroached on the volleyball club, eyes glinting ravenously and their fingers wiggling. As Koshi and Daichi frantically pondered what to do, Kei and Tobio shoved their way to the front. 

“ _ Beat it _ ,” they growled, thunder rumbling and lightning crackling in the background as they towered ominously before their prey. A cold chill swept across the crowd, and they hurriedly scurried away like the scared little mice they were. Daichi and Koshi patted them on the backs as they trotted past, making them roll their eyes and grumble about how stupid the entire thing was. One glare from Daichi had them shuddering and saluting apologetically. 

“Just two?” the cashier sighed exhaustedly, hairs springing up from above her hat as she tiredly scanned the barcodes. Koshi gave her the leftover money as a tip, which made her actually start sobbing and blessing him and his unborn children. She was still screaming gratitude as they marched out of the supermarket with their bounty. As they all collapsed on the blacktop, panting and sweaty, Koshi and Diachi exchanged triumphant snickers. 

“Well, that certainly was a day to spend a Saturday,” Daichi joked before leaning over to rip open the plastic container and procure one of the bottles of electric blue liquid. “Let’s crack ‘em open, boys. You’ve earned ‘em.” A chorus of tired groans echoed around them, but they immediately dragged themselves into sitting positions and fished out some bottles of sports drink. 

“Was this really worth all that effort?” Kei sighed as he looked skeptically at the label. The plastic cracked as he popped it open, and he was stone-faced as he tipped it to his lips to take a sip. He was silent for a second, while the rest of them waited with bated breath. As he lowered it from his mouth, they leaned forward expectantly, eyes widening. 

As Kei turned around to hide his face, a radiant aura beginning to glow from his head, they all screamed. 

“He’s reached nirvana!” 

“Is he  _ crying _ ?” 

“I wanna glow too!” 

As their cohorts began hastily cracking open their bottles to sample the holy liquid, Koshi’s head rolled onto his shoulders to give Daichi a sleepy smile. His friend chuckled and raised the plastic bottle for a toast. 

“That was fun,” Koshi remarked as they clicked the plastic together. 

“It was. I think I might have gotten a bit caught up in the energy, though. It’s just a drink.” 

They both took sips at the same time, leaning back to look up at the cloudless blue sky and the bubbling sun. After a few seconds, though… 

“ _ Oh my God. _ ” 

_ Totally  _ worth it. 


End file.
